


Our Empire

by flamiekitten



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Dragons, Ficlet, Fluff, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, smaugbo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-28
Updated: 2013-11-28
Packaged: 2018-01-02 21:34:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1061902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamiekitten/pseuds/flamiekitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo has been the 'guest' of the great dragon Smaug for quite some time now, and the two have a little moment together involving laughter, fine clothes, treasure, and forgiveness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Our Empire

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Polski available: [Nasze imperium](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1208776) by [winchesters_soulmate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/winchesters_soulmate/pseuds/winchesters_soulmate)



> Inspired by [this](http://ailea-in-slumberland.deviantart.com/art/Our-Empire-365267431) beautiful piece of artwork by [ailea-in-slumberland](http://ailea-in-slumberland.deviantart.com/) on deviantART.

Laughter was not a sound that had been heard in the great hall of The Lonely Mountain for quite some time. For over a hundred and fifty years, all there had been was the sound of deep, rhythmic breathing – and immediately before that? The panicked cries and anguished screams of those who were dying while trying to protect their home. It could also be said that, even before Smaug had arrived and claimed Erebor for his own, the sickness that its jealously guarded treasures spawned in the minds of the mountain’s residents had left very little room for mirth.

But now there was laughter: laughter pure and sweet and genuine, laughter both deep and soft, laughter that echoed and bounced and reverberated around the corridors and halls and stairways –free as a bird.

‘Who would have thought that there was a little prince hiding beneath all that dirt and grime?’

‘Very funny, Smaug!’

‘Oh no, I mean it. That shirt and waistcoat is very becoming on you. I am especially fond of the gold buttons.’

‘Well, _you_ would be, wouldn’t you?’

They laughed again, dragon and Hobbit sharing this moment together as equals. A lazy tail, long and whip-thin, swept across the nearest pile of gold and unerringly picked up a simple golden necklace. Smiling, Smaug brought it over to Bilbo and carefully dropped it in his hands.

‘Put that on,’ he said, in a tone that was gentle but would allow no argument. The Halfling looked down at the necklace for a long moment before shrugging and undoing the clasp, reaching behind his neck to redo it again once it was in place.

Once done, he blinked up at the dragon and indicated towards himself with lifted eyebrows. Smaug _hmm_ ’d and blew out a ponderous smoke ring before sinuously turning in place and sifting through the treasure as delicately as one could with paws as big as his. In no time at all, the dragon had located a pair of matching earrings, bangles, and a simple golden ring. He presented them to Bilbo in the palm of his hand, watching as those miniscule fingers gingerly took them from him one-by-one and started to put them on. Once finished, the Hobbit waited expectantly again for Smaug’s opinion, but he was convinced that something was still missing.

‘Ah!’ he said after a moment with sudden clarity. ‘In that chest behind you – no, not _that_ one – yes, _that_ one. Open it.’

Bilbo obediently wandered over to the indicated chest and, with a little grunt at the weight of the thing, pushed open the carved oak lid and glanced inside. He blinked and tilted his head, reaching in and taking out the only thing that was inside the otherwise empty box.

‘You want me to wear _this_?’

‘Yes, please.’

With a shaky little giggle, Bilbo reached up and placed the crown on top of his head, feeling the weight of it sink down into his brown, curly hair. His cheeks flushed a bit as he turned back towards the dragon, fighting the urge to tug all of the finery off again. He was a _Hobbit_ , for goodness sake – from the _Shire_. He probably just looked completely and utterly ridic–

‘Smaug?’ he said, heart thudding wildly as he heard that awful, _awful_ sound. ‘Smaug what’s wrong?’

The dragon let out another soft whimper and Bilbo quickly made his way back over to him, staring up at the red-scaled face that was so many feet away. Bilbo reached out an imploring hand, as though trying to encourage a frightened bird to fly down onto his finger, but Smaug was either ignoring him or could not see.

‘Smaug?’ Bilbo repeated. ‘Please, talk to me…?’

‘I’ve been here for one hundred and fifty years and not once have I wanted to share any of these treasures with any living creature. And then you – you, Bilbo Baggins – came along, and first you flattered me, then you stole from me, then you _tricked_ me and nearly cost me _everything_ I held dear. And now you’re standing before me, wearing the clothes of a long-dead Dwarf prince and jewellery once coveted by kings and –”

‘And…?’ Bilbo prompted, hardly daring to breathe.

Smaug dropped his head closer and the Halfling could see that those great, golden eyes were filled with tears.

‘And I’m happy.’

Bilbo let out all of his breath at once, laughing shakily and folding his arms, putting on a mock-scowl.

‘Then what on earth are you whimpering and crying for, you daft old dragon?’ He started to laugh again, but quickly stopped when the sound of his voice wasn’t accompanied by Smaug’s familiar baritone chuckle. The Hobbit wrung his hands together and bit down on his bottom lip, his eyes darting back and forth as he waited in the stretching silence. ‘Sma –?’

‘Whatever have _I_ done to deserve happiness? What have I done to deserve _you_? I’ve murdered and stolen without remorse, robbed an entire people of their home and made it my empire. An empty, lonely throne upon which I’ve sat for over a century. Without conscience – until now.’

The Halfling slowly stopped wringing his hands and then lifted them up instead, placing them both on that great nose and slowly closing his eyes, tilting his head forward until the crown was just touching Smaug’s scales. He sighed deep, just feeling the warm exhales of breath tug at his curls for a little while.

‘Yes, you’ve done some terrible things – terrible, awful… unforgiveable things. There’s no two ways about it. You’re a murderer and a thief and a braggart and a liar.’ Smaug huffed out a strangled cry, and Bilbo could feel him start to pull away so he lifted his head again and opened his eyes. ‘But you’re also a poet and a teacher and a guardian and a – a _lover_ ,’ he cut in quickly, taking a breath, ‘now, to most people, those qualities still aren’t enough to weigh up against the bad things you’ve done, but – Smaug, you’re a _dragon_. It’s a part of who you are to be destructive and cunning and cruel. To _me_ , the fact that you seem willing to change all that, f- _for me_ ,’ his voice faltered a little, ‘is something quite remarkable indeed. And admirable. And incredible.’

Smaug blinked, the tears evaporating in his surprise. He looked down at the little Hobbit – who’d still managed to summon his Shire-born honesty and sensibility despite his regal attire, who was regarding him with such a look of determination and passion. The dragon swallowed, and pressed his nose a little harder against those open palms in one of the only forms of embrace he knew.

‘Prince in mind and manners, as well as appearance I see,’ he said with a small note of amusement in his tone. Bilbo’s face immediately lit up in a bright smile that made the dragon’s tail coil with unexpected glee.

‘All right, all right. I’ll be your prince.' Bilbo paused, a wry smile playing on his lips. 'But only if that means this can be _our_ empire.’


End file.
